


Beauty Killer

by Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz



Category: DRAMAtical Murder (Visual Novel), DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Anal Sex, Blood and Gore, Death Threats, F/M, Guns, Kidnapping, M/M, Multi, Oral Sex, Threats of Violence, Thriller, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, romantic suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-24
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:01:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,802
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25492027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz/pseuds/Princess_Jules_von_Schweetz
Summary: Sei's future hinged on winning a race, and when it came time to perform, she choked. As she tries to accept her failure and move on with her life, strange things start happening. Her dog Ren attacks her, and her friend Noiz comes under a sudden, mysterious illness. While running home she sees a fearsome creature waits for her in the dark. If Sei thought her life was already ruined, things were only going to get much worse.
Relationships: Koujaku/Sei (DRAMAtical Murder), Mizuki/Seragaki Aoba
Comments: 5
Kudos: 6





	1. The Fall

The only thing standing between Sei and the life she wanted were seven plastic hurdles. 

She willed herself to keep moving even though her body was screaming for her to stop. Her throat burned. Her calves cramped. Her feet blistered. The heat was suffocating. None of that mattered. The recruiters from M University were spectating somewhere in the crowd. All she had to do was clear the last hurdles, and it would be over. 

One. Two. Three. Her body moved the way it had hundreds of times during practice. She jumped, her abdominals tightened, and she cleared them one by one. Four. Five. Six. 

No one was even close to her. The finish line was just a couple meters away. 

Seven. 

  


_One month later._

It was a balmy evening and the sun was slowly migrating into the horizon. Noiz waited for Sei by the front of the school. Sei dug through her backpack for a bottle of water and took a swig. Noiz held his hand out and she surrendered her backpack. Sei was still sweaty from the few laps she took around the track. She wiped her mouth with the back of her good hand and gasped. 

“Thanks,” Sei panted. Noiz had been a huge help since she broke her arm. He had been tasked with helping her get in her locker and carrying her books between classes. But of his own volition, he had started walking with her to and from school. They found that they didn’t live that far from each other, so the arrangement had worked out well for both of them. 

In the beginning Sei had been intimidated by Noiz. He had what she called a ‘resting bitch face,’ and he almost never had anything nice to say. But as she got to know him, she learned he was just not a people person. Once she looked past his rough exterior, she could tell that he cared. Most of the time anyway. 

Sei climbed the porch steps and opened the door with the key on her lanyard. She looked back at Noiz. 

“Are you coming in for dinner?” 

“No, not tonight. I promised I’d help Theo with something,” he said and handed her things back. 

“Alright. Oh, by the way. I’ll be staying late to study in the library tomorrow, so don’t worry about walking me home.” 

“I don’t mind staying over till you’re done,” Noiz monotoned. 

“You know, you’re nicer than you look,” she teased. Noiz scoffed and turned to leave. “Hey, can you grab the mail for me before you go? I forgot to check it.” 

“Sure,” Noiz murmured and drug his feet to the mailbox. He flung the mailbox open and came back with a large manilla envelope. 

“What’s that?” Sei wondered aloud. 

“It’s addressed to you,” he said and Sei’s heart palpitated. Her eyes zeroed in on the silvery insignia of M University stamped on its front. She set her backpack on the ground and stuffed the envelop in with her other books and papers. 

“Thanks. I’ll see you later,” and she went inside. 

  


Sei ruffled her wet hair with a white towel. Aoba sat cross-legged on his bed engrossed in a magazine with Ren on his lap. Sei pulled the towel off and shook out her hair. Tiny water droplets flew on Aoba. 

“Ugh, stop!” Aoba cried and wiped the water droplets off the pages. Ren’s ears perked up and he watched them with his black, squinted eyes. Aoba scrutinized the magazine and saw the paper had wrinkled where the water landed. He glowered at her, “I swear you’re a walking disaster. And I told you to stop borrowing my shirts without asking. Your boobs stretch the chest out!” 

Sei looked down at the blue, long-sleeved shirt she was wearing. 

“I thought this was mine.” 

“Uh-huh, because you keep your shirts on my side of the closet.” 

Sei shrugged and grabbed her bottle of perfume from her desk and spritzed a liberal dose on her neck. 

“Sorry, I couldn’t find any clean shirts this morning. And yours are so comfy,” she added whilst rubbing the perfume in with her wrists. 

“If you actually did your laundry, then you wouldn’t have that problem,” Aoba pointed out. Ren stood up in his lap and shook out his ears. Aoba made a flourish of going back to reading his magazine. Sei dug through their closet and she pulled out her old yoga mat. She held it up in the air and flicked it open. She cleared a spot on the floor by scooting her clothes out of the way. She kicked one of her teddy bears across the room and it thumped against Aoba’s bed. 

“Can you not be annoying for five minutes?” He reached up for his headphones on the dresser. 

“Hey, I don’t complain whenever you and Mizuki want to have some alone time in here,” she said. She tipped at the hips to stretch her legs, then added under her breath, “And I don’t complain how musky it smells in here afterwards.” 

Aoba gaped at her, mortified. 

“Shut up!” He put on his headphones and lay down with his back to her. 

“Anyway, this is for my New Year’s resolution. You should be proud of me for actually doing it,” she tried to speak over his music, but Aoba made no sign that he heard her. She did some shoulder rolls. 

Aoba sat up and pulled his earphones down around his neck. 

“It’s almost May. And that was your resolution last year,” he muttered, then added quieter, “And the year before and the year before that.” 

“So? I was busy with stuff.” 

“You were busy for three years straight?” 

“I’m doing it now, aren’t I?” Sei stepped her feet shoulder width apart and leaned sideways into a triangle pose. “Ngh, oh god,” she groaned from the strain she felt on her tendons and muscles. 

“Why don’t you pick a resolution that will actually be useful? Like keeping your side of the room clean?” He gibed. 

“I know where everything is, so why bother?” 

“Maybe because I want to be able to bring my friends over without them seeing your underwear on the floor.” 

Sei straightened up and scowled. 

“I do not leave my underwear on the floor,” she objected. Aoba narrowed his eyes and pointed at a pair of pink and white striped panties balled in front of their bedroom door. She scurried over and flung them into her hamper by the foot of her bed. 

“Okay… maybe I can try and work on that,” Sei said and meandered over to Aoba’s bed. He raised an eyebrow at her and she laughed. “I promise! I will. Starting tomorrow.” 

“Why stop at just your underwear though? You also have way too many stuffed animals. I’m afraid they’re planning to invade my side of the room.” 

Sei gasped in mock horror and snatched her teddy bear off the floor and squeezed it to her chest. 

“I love you, Aoba, but I refuse to put any of my babies away.” She held the bear out to him. “Look at this little guy. Would you really be so heartless as to banish him to a storage box?” Aoba pushed the plushie out of his face. 

“Yes, I would. Without a second thought, I’d put them all away,” he said. Sei covered the teddy bear’s ears. 

“Don’t say something so mean right in front of him! He’s just a baby.” To the bear she whispered, “It’s okay, he didn’t really mean it.” Aoba breathed a chuckle. 

“What was your New Year’s resolution, Aoba?” She asked and tossed her stuffed animal back to her side of the room. 

“How thoughtful of you to ask me only four months into the year,” Aoba sassed. “Actually, I want to spend more time with the people who are the most important to me.” Sei’s eyebrows raised. 

“I didn’t know you were so sentimental,” she murmured. “Are you sure you didn’t resolve to lose weight or get better grades?” 

“What are you getting at?” 

Sei giggled. 

“Nothing. I just didn’t expect such a sappy answer.” 

“Well… you’ll be leaving for college soon, and we’ve never been separated before,” Aoba said. “Speaking of which, have you heard anything from the college yet?” 

Sei felt a twinge in her stomach. She glanced at her backpack hanging of the back of her desk chair. 

“No.” 

“Don’t worry about it. They’d have to be idiots to judge you off of one race.” Aoba stroked Ren’s fur. He’d curled up in a ball and fallen back asleep. 

“So, you’d really miss me if I moved out?” Sei smiled and winked at him. “Aw, is wittle Aoba gonna miss his big sissy?” 

“Well… I won’t miss your smelly running clothes, or you ruining my shirts, or you eating all the food in the house, or you waking me up at ungodly hours of the night just because you’re scared-”

“Alright, alright. Jeez,” Sei cut him off. “I get it. I’m needy, okay?” 

“Hang on, I didn’t finish,” Aoba said. “Despite how annoying you are, I think I’ll miss you. Probably.” 

“Awe, Aoba! You’re the sweetest little brother,” she leaned closer. 

“Don’t touch me!” Aoba protested but Sei tackled him in a bear hug. 

“Aoba wubs his big sister,” she teased and crushed him into her chest. 

“Stop it, you weirdo!” He pushed her away. 

“You’ll have Mizuki to keep you company when I leave. How’s his apprenticeship going by the way?” 

Aoba’s sour expression softened. Thinking of Mizuki always brought a soft smile to his face. 

“He said it’s going well, but they won’t let him near the tattoo stuff yet. The old man’s using him more like an errand boy for now, but since he’s letting him study under him for free, Mizuki says he can’t complain.” Then Aoba checked his coil. “He should be getting off soon. I’m gonna call him in a minute.” 

“Gotcha. I’ve got translation homework I need to do anyway,” she said. She went to her desk and sifted through her backpack. She paused when she saw the manilla folder wrinkled in the bag. She checked over her shoulder to see if Aoba was watching. She tugged the envelop out and slid it under her pillow. She dug out her English/Japanese dictionary along with an English copy of Grimms' Fairy Tales and set them on her desk amongst the disarray of cosmetics and knickknacks. 

Sei flipped her hair over her shoulder and got to work on her English homework. She heard Aoba on his coil talking to Mizuki. They had started dating six months ago, but they had been friends for a while. Not much changed in their relationship, except they now wanted more private time together. Sei did her best to give them space, which was difficult since they shared a room. 

Even though Sei had put it together that Aoba was interested in men and women, it had still been a surprise when he and Mizuki started dating. It hurt that whenever Mizuki came over, it was always to see Aoba now. Like he didn’t want to hang out with her anymore. In some ways she was jealous. She’d never been in a relationship before, and she had liked Mizuki for some time too. Not that she would ever try to do something like steal him from Aoba. It was just… hard to be around them sometimes. 

She engrossed herself in her work. Thinking that getting with Mizuki was just fanciful as one of the fairy tales in the book. 

  


Sei closed the planner she’d been scribbling in with glitter pens, writing in the due dates for assignments. Summer break would be starting soon. It was their last one before their final year. She leaned back in her chair. She balanced the back two legs while holding onto the edge of the desk, wobbling back and forth. Ren was sleeping on his favorite pillow by Aoba’s bed. She felt the urge to scoop him up and hold him in her lap, but she decided to let him lie. Aoba was saying his goodbyes to Mizuki on his coil and hung up. 

“Light’s out?” Sei asked. Aoba yawned and nodded. She reached over and flicked the lights off and cracked the door in case Ren wanted to go downstairs in the middle of the night. Sei carefully tiptoed through her minefield of junk to her bed. She pulled back the pink and purple comforter with daisy print and slid into the cool bedsheets. She lengthened her legs and heard some of her things crash onto the floor. Sei propped herself up on her pillows and pulled up an e-book on her coil. She wasn’t tired yet, so she wanted to escape in a book for a while. She was rereading one of her favorite stories. It was a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but the wolf was a werewolf who was in love with Red Riding Hood. Her eyes bounced back and forth over the page like the silver spheres on Newton’s cradle. After a couple chapters she felt her conscious drifting away. She heard someone whisper her name. It was so light, so soft, that she couldn’t tell if it had been real or if she had dreamed it. 


	2. The Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sei relives her accident in a nightmare.

Sei sprinted around the track, pumping her legs and arms with athletic prowess. She felt light. Every move was fluid and effortless. She could go forever. The other racers couldn’t even get close to her. 

The first hurdle was in front of her and then it was behind her. So went the second and the third. The fourth, the fifth, the sixth. All that was left was the seventh, then she was free to win the race. She jumped. 

And landed on the other side. 

She was so relieved she laughed. 

Then she heard the clatter of a hurdle being tripped over and someone crying out in pain. 

Sei looked back and saw a familiar sight. 

It was her. 

Sei saw herself on the ground. Her mouth and chin bloody; her right arm splayed beneath her. It was an exact picture of what happened to her one month ago. 

The world stopped, and it was just Sei and the past version of herself. 

“Please, help me!” The other Sei cried and extended her hand out to her. 

Sei glanced back at the finish line. It was so close. She could win. Finally, she could get everything she wanted. 

“I’m sorry,” Sei said and turned her back on herself. Time resumed and Sei crossed the finish line. 

The audience cheered; hundreds of strangers ran to her. They patted her on the back and took pictures of her with the first-place medal. A man and a woman in matching suits offered her a full scholarship on the spot if she would play for their school. Sei felt like she was glowing. It was like a dream come true. Something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. Her stomach turned at the sight. 

“Hey, wait!” Sei cried out. “Isn’t anyone going to help her?” But no one else seemed to hear her or see the body lying face down on the pavement. People kept smiling and congratulating her as if nothing were amiss. Sei gave up on snapping them out of their trances and she pushed her way out of the crowd and ran to her past self’s side. 

“Are you okay?” She asked, unsure of what to do. She tapped the girl’s shoulder. She felt a shock of electricity pass between them. Sei flinched and fell backwards. 

“Ow,” Sei yelped, then froze, a tingling sensation ran up her spine. The girl was staring at her with a hateful eye through curtains of black hair. 

She raised her upper body up and her hair fell back from her face. Sei saw her own face contorted in hatred. Rivulets of blood ran down her neck from the gash in her chin. 

“I hate you,” she growled. She crawled on all fours toward Sei. Her broken wrist was flimsy; her hand scraped along the concrete. She kept her gaze locked onto Sei. 

“Please,” Sei tried to whisper, but she couldn’t voice it. She wanted to look away, but she was unable. 

“You don’t deserve to be in control,” she said and shoved her to the ground and clamped a hand over Sei’s mouth and nose. Sei screwed her eyes shut and willed her body to move, but she was paralyzed. She opened her eyes and saw a shadowy figure looming over her. No face, only darkness. 

  


Loud barking jerked Sei out of her nightmare. She gasped for air, staring wide-eyed at Ren who was baring his teeth and snapping at her. 

“Ren, stop!” Aoba yelled and tried to reach for Ren, but he turned on him and bit down on his hand. “Shit!” Aoba hissed and clutched his hand. 

“What’s going on?” Granny flicked on the light. Ren stopped barking and whined; he flattened his ears against his head. 

“Ren was trying to attack Sei,” Aoba said. His hand was shaking. Dark droplets of blood plopped on her yoga mat. 

Granny gestured for him to show her the bite. She frowned, then looked at her granddaughter. 

“Are you alright?” 

Sei wrapped her arms around her knees and nodded. 

“Yeah. I was having a bad dream. I guess I must have scared Ren, or something,” she lowered her gaze. She felt responsible somehow. Granny grunted. 

“Try to get some sleep,” she said and flipped the lights back off. 

  


Sei was too shaken to relax. The images from her nightmare were still fresh in her mind. It had felt so real. Everything from the running. The elation from winning. The shock of electric. The hand trying to smother her. She rubbed her tongue along the inside of her lips. Her eyes went wide when she tasted iron. 

Her legs were trembling as she stepped out of bed. She hurried downstairs to the bathroom. 

Under the LED lights her skin looked ashen and grey in the mirror. She examined the scars on her bottom lip and chin, then she pulled her lips back and ran her tongue over her chipped tooth. It was smeared in a trace amount of blood. As if someone had really tried to smother her and the pressure had cut her lip. 

Sei startled when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. 

“Sei, are you okay?” Aoba asked. 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Be out in a minute,” she answered and looked through the medicine cabinet for her scar cream. She heard a thump against the door and saw the light at the bottom of the door was being blocked by him sitting in front of it. It made her laugh. 

“Go to bed, Aoba.” 

“I am.” 

“Oh really?” Sei opened the door and Aoba nearly fell backwards onto the bathroom floor. Sei put her hands on her hips. 

“You’re such a freak,” she said and stepped around him. He stuck his leg out to try and trip her, but she danced around his leg and stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Quit messing around and get to bed!” Granny snapped. She stood in the hallway in her nightgown. 

“Sorry, Granny. We’re going,” Sei said and helped Aoba up with her good arm. She noticed the bandage on his hand where Ren had bit him. 

“Good night, Granny,” Aoba said. Their grandmother huffed and waddled back to her room. 

Sei hesitated at their bedroom door. She glanced back at Aoba. 

“What?” He asked and then understood what she wanted him to do. “Fine, I’ll go first,” he said and stepped past her. He turned on the light and did a quick sweep of the room. 

“It’s safe,” he said. She still lingered by the doorframe. 

“And the closet?” Aoba tried not to roll his eyes. He peeked in their closet. 

“All clear here,” he said. 

She stepped into the room, wringing her hands in front of her and pleading with her eyes. Aoba sighed. 

“You can sleep with me, just bring your own blanket. You hogged mine last time,” he grumbled. Sei grinned and hurried to her bed. She grabbed her pillow and dragged her comforter to Aoba’s bed. 

“What are you going to do when you get scared at the dorms? Are you going to request a roommate who will share their bed with you?” Aoba asked. Sei wrapped herself up in the blanket next to him and chuckled. 

“That would be awkward,” she remarked. 

They laid together in silence. Sei heard the air conditioning kick on and blow through the vents. She waited until she thought he was asleep and edged her hand under his blanket, searching for his hand. She found it and squeezed. He squeezed back. 


	3. The Text

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone is found unconscious in front of the school.

Sei slouched at the table by a window and watched raindrops create ripples in the puddles underneath the streetlights. Her textbook lay open, its pages speckled with colorful Post-It notes, ready to begin a study session, but her mind was elsewhere. Her eyes were following the librarian’s reflection in the window, she’d learned she could ogle him this way without being obvious. 

His hair was tied back with a red pin. His bangs covered half of his face, and he wore a black and purple checkered cardigan layered over a white t-shirt. He wore snug, white pants to match. 

Sei couldn’t help but feel frumpy in comparison. She wore a wrinkled long-sleeved shirt (stolen from Aoba) and faded black leggings with bones printed on them. Upon closer inspection, she saw that they were covered in dog hair. She picked off the tiny hairs and let them flitter to the floor. She didn’t notice someone had stopped in front of her. 

“May I accompany you?” 

Sei’s mouth parted, she looked up at him wide-eyed. 

“Y-yeah,” Sei said. She closed her textbook and gathered the rest of her study materials out of his way and stuffed them in her backpack. “I wasn’t making much progress today anyway,” she joked in a high-pitched voice. 

“I could tell,” Koujaku gave her a disarming smile. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and smiled back, feeling warmth build in her cheeks. 

“You’re Sei, aren’t you?” 

“Yeah,” her stomach fluttered at hearing him say her name. “How did you know?” 

“I know everyone’s names. At least the ones who check out books often,” Koujaku explained. She grinned at her gloved hands in her lap. She didn’t want to be awkward, but she didn’t know what to say to that. Koujaku laced his hands together over his knee and tilted his head. 

“I’ve seen you in here a lot. You must be a dedicated student,” he commented. 

“Actually, I’m just here to give my brother alone time with his boyfriend today,” she cringed, not knowing why she had just said that. “Um, I guess that’s a little TMI.” 

“Just a little,” Koujaku chuckled. Then he mercifully changed the subject, “I didn’t know you wore glasses.” She stared at him a moment then realized he was talking about her frames. She took them off and offered them to him. He looked back at her with a cocked eyebrow. 

“Go ahead, take them,” she said and swung the white frames in front of him. He relented and tried them on. She turned away and hid her face behind her hand. She had to bite her tongue to keep herself from laughing like a spaz. 

“What? Do they not suit me?” He coaxed. Sei’s face was beet red. 

“They’re not real- they don’t have lenses,” she rested her elbow on the table and hid her grin behind her palm. Koujaku removed the frames and poked his fingers through the empty space where the glass should have been. 

“Well. Those are rather pointless glasses,” he murmured and handed them back. She tucked her hair behind her ears before sliding them on again. 

“It’s called fashion, sweety,” she teased and Koujaku snorted. 

“So, is the cast just for looks too?” He pointed at the cast on her right wrist. She sputtered her lips. 

“I wish. This is from a freak sports accident,” she took a deep breath to try and get her giggling under control. She noticed Koujaku smelled faintly of cigarettes. It wasn’t off-putting, but it wasn’t Sei’s favorite smell either. 

An ambulance drove by the window with its lights and siren on. Two police cars followed close behind. 

“Wonder what’s going on,” Koujaku said. 

Sei’s stomach turned; her mood became more serious. 

“It looks like they stopped at the front of the school.” 

“Wanna check it out?” He asked after seeing the uneasy look on Sei’s face. She was staring out the window to where the blue and red lights were flashing, chewing on her bottom lip. Her dark eyes darted back at him and she nodded. 

Since they had been the only ones in the library this late, Koujaku needed only to lock the doors and they went to the front of the school. The colored lights reflected off the walls and tiled floors of the hallway. They went outside and joined the small crowd gathering near the emergency vehicles. Koujaku approached one of the faculty. 

“What happened?” Koujaku asked in a hushed tone. 

The teacher’s arms were crossed tightly, as if she were hugging herself. 

“One of the second-year students was found unconscious,” the wrinkles in the older woman’s face deepened. “Some of the students recognized him as Wilhelm. I’ve never had him in class, but- oh, it’s just awful. They’re saying he’s probably been laying out here for hours and no one’s noticed him.” 

Sei’s face turned white. The drizzle they were standing in was already making her clothes stick to her skin, chilling her to the bone. 

“Noiz?” Sei whispered. Koujaku turned to her. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Sei’s eyes stung. 

“I think it’s my friend, Noiz,” she said. 

“Do you want to get closer?” Koujaku asked. She nodded and they moved towards the front of the crowd. 

Sei saw the medics wheel a stretcher with a spare, Caucasian adolescent strapped in. There was no mistaking that it was him, though he looked like a corpse. 

“Oh my god,” she pressed her fist against her mouth. The cut on the inside of her lip reopened against her chipped tooth. 

“Sei?” Koujaku laid his hand on her shoulder and she moved out from under his touch. She called out to the medics. 

“What happened? Is he going to be alright? Where are you taking him?” One of the police officers walked over to her. 

“Do you know the kid?” The policewoman asked. She had short, black hair that hung out from under her cap like straw on a scarecrow. Her lips were drawn with a liner two shades darker than her lipstick. The corners of her lips were pinched in a permafrown. 

“He’s my friend. What happened?” 

“We don’t know. We’ve contacted his parents, and that’s all I can tell you,” the woman said. The policewoman’s eyes were red, Sei realized. Had she been the one to tell Noiz’s parents? 

“Thank you,” Sei bowed her head and turned to leave. Her knee gave out and she stumbled. 

“Hey, wait,” Koujaku said and came to her side. She ignored him and kept walking. “Let me call you a cab, it’s not safe for you to walk home, not in this weather.” 

“I’ll be fine.” 

“What about your backpack or an umbrella?” Koujaku said, but she broke out into a run. “Shit,” Koujaku paced back and forth, considering he should follow and make sure she made it home. He glanced back when the ambulance turned its sirens on. He saw the policewoman was watching him. He let out a heavy sigh and went back inside. 

  


The sun had set, and the overcast made the sky look like an infinite black void. Sei stopped at the crosswalk and waited for the gate to turn green and open. She was soaked. She regretted not taking Koujaku’s offer of a cab ride home. She had only been listening to something in her body that told her to get away. The reality of what had happened was still sinking in. Her first thought when she had seen him on the stretcher was, “Who’s going to carry my books now?” What a stupid, selfish thought. 

A black Mercedes rolled up to the intersection and the light changed. She crossed the street and felt the heat from the car’s engine. It occurred to her that the car looked out of place in Midorijima, especially in this rundown section of town. The car had the patina of wealth; its paint was glossier than Sei’s fingernail polish. She glanced at the windows and saw they were tinted. She couldn’t see the occupants inside. 

She realized she looked suspicious walking the streets this late in the rain without an umbrella. After a moment, the car passed her on her right and turned onto the street ahead of her. She thought nothing of it until she saw its bumper pull up to the next crosswalk with its headlights switched off. 

“What the hell,” she muttered. She’d heard stories of young women getting snatched off the street. Whoever was driving the car, she had the feeling that they were up to no good. 

She didn’t want to tip them off that she’d noticed them, so, she pretended to walk into the townhouse on her left. She stepped onto its front porch where she was out of sight. She hopped over the railing and ducked into the narrow alley between the townhouse and the abandoned business building next to it. She felt her way between the walls. She was careful not to trip over the large pieces of gravel or the pipes on the ground. Now would not have been the time to twist her ankle. She squeezed around the air conditioners jutting out of the walls. She bumped against the fence at the back of the alley. She felt around with her hands and found that it was a dead end. She crouched down, her legs tremoring, and watched the road. 

Sei held her breath. Scenarios of someone turning a flashlight down the alley way played in her head. There was no way out other than the way she’d come in, so she’d have to scream and hope the people living in the townhouse would help her. That was, if anyone lived there at all. 

Five minutes passed and Sei considered she could have been overreacting. Perhaps the car had parked there because they lived on that street. Or maybe it had been a concerned person offering a ride. Still, if that had been the case, why had they been so careful to conceal their presence? She felt a prickling sensation on the back of her neck when she saw amber lights blinking in the street. She recoiled. It was the Mercedes edging forward with its hazard lights on. It stopped in front of her. She tried to make herself as small as possible in the back corner of the alley. Her fingernails dug into her palms. 

She waited in silence. The car crept forward and stopped again. Another moment passed, and they went further up the road and braked again. Sei had no doubt in her mind that they were looking for her, whatever their intentions were. 

She waited until the lights drifted out of sight; she wanted to be sure they weren’t going to turn back around and search again. She inched forward and her cast scraped along the jagged brick wall. She felt something gooey get scooped into her cast. She tried to dig it out with her finger, but that only wedged it deeper. In the light at the opening of the alley, she could see it had been a slug. 

“Uck,” Sei grimaced. She checked up and down the road for any signs of the car. When she didn’t see anything, she hurried the rest of the way home. 

  


Aoba, Mizuki and Granny had all gone to bed by the time Sei got home. She locked the door behind her, slipped out of her drenched tennis shoes and peeled off her socks. She tiptoed into the kitchen. Ren whimpered when he saw her; he pawed at the latch on his cage. She put her arm under the faucet and attempted to wash the slug guts out of her cast. 

“Sorry, boy, but it looks like you’re still in trouble,” she said. She wasn’t paying attention to what she was doing. Her eyes were bleary, and goosebumps covered her arms. Everything that had happened that evening had been too much for her mind to process. 

Her coil lit up; she had received a text message from a number she didn’t recognize. She frowned. She didn’t remember giving her number out to anyone. At the risk of it being spam, she opened it. 

_This is Koujaku, the librarian. I hope you don’t mind, I found your number in your planner. You left your things. Can I bring them by tomorrow?_

Sei leaned back against the kitchen counter and rubbed her temples. She’d panicked when she saw that Noiz had collapsed under mysterious circumstances. She wondered if Aoba and everyone else knew about what had happened to him. Her throat tightened when she remembered pulling away from Koujaku when he had tried to comfort her. What was wrong with her? 

Her coil lit up again. Curious, she looked to see what else he sent, but saw this message had come from a private number. Normally she deleted anything that looked sketchy, but her hand moved before she could think, and she opened the message. 

She read it. And reread it. The words blurred together; she felt sick to her stomach. 

_Someone is trying to kill you. -C.P._

Ren barked. Sei startled and dropped the kitchen towel she’d been clutching. He bared his teeth at her and growled. There was a ferocity in his eyes she’d never seen before. There was something about it that unnerved her. She tossed the towel in the sink and ran upstairs. 


	4. The Yakuza

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The drivers of the black car are revealed.

Koujaku pulled on the door handle to double check that it was locked and stuffed the keys in his pocket. He groaned and stretched his arms over his head before starting the walk home. 

It’d been a long day. For one, it hadn’t been busy at all. Then he’d taken the chance to talk to Sei, which had gone well at first but ended terribly. He had spent the rest of his shift thinking what he should have done better, but nothing came to mind. What happened to Noiz was a tragedy, and Koujaku felt guilty that he blamed the kid’s illness for ruining his chances. 

He carried Sei’s backpack over his shoulder. She had left it when she ran off, so rather than turning it into the lost and found, he decided he would drop it off at her house. She had written her address and coil number on the first page of her planner, so he had chanced it and sent her a message. It was simple and direct- letting her know who it was, where he got her number, and that he would bring her bag by if she wanted him to. He had thought that messaging beforehand would be better than just showing up unannounced. 

A couple minutes after sending the message, he glanced at his coil and was disappointed. She hadn’t replied. He huffed out his nose and frowned. Maybe the number was old, or she had made it home and gone to bed by now. Or more likely, she had found his text creepy and was ignoring him. 

He winced. This was wrong. He knew this was just an excuse to see her again. To apologize for upsetting her… and then what? 

The days when Sei stayed over in the library to study passed by much easier. Something about her calm, quiet nature felt nostalgic. She had gorgeous black hair, fair skin and large black eyes. She looked so delicate and petite, but there was strength and grace in the way she moved. She reminded him of a ballerina. But she was too young, too immature for him, and he could tell by the way she’d acted. She had been blushing and giggling so nervously when he had sat with her. He recognized that behavior. It was the way schoolgirls acted around their crushes. Koujaku couldn’t deny that it had made him happy she liked him, but an even larger part of him felt disgusted with himself. He couldn’t let this go any further. He would drop the backpack off at her house, and never speak to her again unless he had to. He resolved to delete her number from his coil, to stop him from being tempted to contact her again. But his hand stopped just as he was about to. 

Headlights up the street turned on and blinded him. Koujaku scowled and shielded his eyes with his hand. 

“Damn it,” he murmured to himself and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his back pocket. He hadn’t noticed their black Mercedes idling up the road. He was tired of these two pestering him. He cupped his hand around the flame of his lighter to protect it from the night’s breeze. He took a long drag before ambling over to them. They stepped out of their car when he came closer. 

“Evening Virus, Trip. How’s Pops?” Koujaku asked. Virus wore a thin smile; Trip looked tired and bored. 

“Not well, I’m sorry to say. His doctors suspect he won’t live to see next month.” 

Koujaku scratched his nose with his thumb. 

“Is that so?” He said. 

“That’s a rather lukewarm response for someone who keeps avoiding us,” Virus said. Koujaku took another drag on his cigarette. 

“You’ve wasted more than enough of our time. If you don’t want to be head of the family, we don’t care. Just act like it until the old man dies,” Trip said. 

“I’d never bow to that old man’s wishes. He made my mother’s life a living hell, and when he was done with her, he tossed her away like she was nothing. And now that he’s dying alone, he expects me to carry own his legacy? What legacy does he have but one of shame?” With that, Koujaku turned his back on them. 

“That backpack doesn’t suit you, Koujaku. Or would that be because it isn’t yours?” Trip said. Koujaku ignored them and kept walking. 

“We understand that you’re familiar with a girl named Sei Seragaki. We used to be acquainted with her brother, oddly enough,” Virus remarked. Koujaku’s shoulders stiffened and he pivoted. He gave them a warning look. 

“Stay away from her. She has nothing to do with this, or me for that matter,” Koujaku warned. He threw away his cigarette and flexed his hand over the switchblade in his pocket. 

“I’m up for a scuffle if that’s what you want,” Trip grinned and pulled out a large gravity blade of his own. “How about it, Koujaku? Think you’re still good with a knife after being out of the game for so long?” Trip taunted. Koujaku glowered and ground his teeth. The muscles in his neck tensed. 

“I’m not afraid of you two bastards.” 

“We know, and if your cooperation didn’t matter so much, we would have resorted to other methods of persuading you sooner. But time’s running out,” Virus said. 

“You wouldn’t let an innocent girl get hurt because of your pride, would you Koujaku?” Trip said still holding the knife in his hand. Excitement glimmered in his eyes. 

“We’re not asking you to take over your father’s gang. We just need you to pretend you are. Just please the old man till he dies. Then, you’ll make us the heads of his yakuza,” Virus said. “And if you still refuse, well, let’s just say your father isn’t the only one who won’t live to see next month.” 

Koujaku seethed. They must have seen him with Sei earlier, and they’d gotten the impression that they were close. Even if Sei wasn’t anything to him, Trip was right. He wasn’t going to let her get hurt because of him. 

“Fine. I’ll do it. Just stay away from her,” Koujaku snapped and kept a hard eye on the two of them. 

“That depends on your cooperation,” Virus said and motioned Trip to put his knife away. “But we can promise this. Give us control of your father’s gang and you’ll never hear from us again.” 

  


Early morning light filtered in through the curtains next to Sei’s bed. She hadn’t slept at all. She’d laid in bed listening to Mizuki and Aoba’s snores. She heard Ren’s claws click through the hallway. He nudged the door open with his muzzle and snuck in their room with his head lowered. Ren jumped up on the bed and curled up in a ball against Aoba’s side. Ren yawned and licked his nose. Granny must be up, Sei thought. She rolled over on her stomach. She knew Granny wasn’t going to be pleased with her for coming home so late. She buried her face in the pillow and stretched her arms underneath it. She groaned, then realized something was out of place. She swept her hands under the pillow and felt nothing but the sheet. She sat up with a confused look on her face. She picked up the pillow and saw that the envelope from the university was missing. She craned her neck to look into the crack between the mattress and the headboard, but it hadn’t fallen back there. She got out of bed and lifted up the bed skirt. She shoved somethings out of the way, but still she couldn’t find the envelop. 

She chewed her bottom lip. Maybe someone had found it and opened it already. Just another reason to crawl in bed and sleep all day. But she remembered Noiz. She wanted to visit him in the hospital today if she could. Hopefully his condition had improved by now. She’d kept checking the local news sites for any mention of what happened to him. Nothing about it had been reported, so she took that as a good sign. 

She needed to shower and bathe before she did anything else. She hadn’t showered when she came home last night, and she felt grimy from having been stuck in the rain and squeezing herself through the alley. Her hair felt stiff and gross. She searched through Aoba’s side of the closet for clean clothes and went to the bathroom. 

Sei sat down on the stool and sprayed herself with hot water while the bathtub filled. She took the moment to quiet the errant thoughts swimming in her head. When she laid back in the bathtub, she realized just how tired and achy her body felt. She let her muscles slack and propped her casted arm on the edge of the tub to keep it out of the water. She relaxed her head to the side and closed her eyes, taking slow and easy breaths. 

A knock at the bathroom door startled Sei awake. The once warm water had turned room temperature. 

“Sei? Are you alright?” Aoba asked. Sei sat up in the water and rubbed her eyes with her wet, pruny fingers. 

“Yeah. I’ll be out in a minute.” 

Sei stood up in the bath and water dripped down her body. She toweled off and changed into the clothes she had brought with her. When she trudged into their room, she saw Mizuki was still sleeping. Aoba was sitting on the edge of the bed with Ren in his lap. Aoba huffed and narrowed his eyes. 

“I told you to stop borrowing my shirts,” Aoba chided her, but she seemed not to have heard him. Instead she walked to her desk and picked up her bottle of perfume. Her trembling hands fumbled with the cap and dropped it on the floor. 

“Hey,” Aoba stood and came to stand beside her. “Is everything okay?” 

Sei hunched her shoulders and despite trying to hold it back, a sob escaped her. 

“Sei…” Aoba sounded taken aback. Sei turned to look at him, her eyes were red and watery. 

“Aoba,” Sei groaned and buried her face against his shoulder. She heard movement from Aoba’s bed; she’d woke Mizuki up. She felt embarrassed and pulled away. She wiped at her face with the back of her hand. 

“I’m sorry- I don’t know why…” Sei took a deep breath to get ahold of herself. “I don’t want to be alone today,” she admitted. Aoba looked guilt-ridden. 

“I have to leave for work in a few minutes. I can’t take off on such short notice.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m free today,” Mizuki said and stepped forward in his white t-shirt and grey boxers. 

“Did you hear what happened to Noiz?” She asked. 

“No, what happened?” Aoba said. 

“He fainted or something in front of the school. And he was laying there for hours in the rain until someone found him.” 

Mizuki and Aoba looked horrified. 

“That’s terrible! Is he alright?” Mizuki asked. 

“I don’t know. I was thinking of going to the hospital to see him.” 

“We can visit him and see how he’s doing. Then afterwards we can hangout somewhere? Like the aquarium?” 

Sei’s shoulders relaxed and she felt an uplifted sensation in her chest. She tried to bite back a smile but found herself grinning. Just the thought of going to such a familiar and safe place would be a nice escape, even if it was only for an hour. 

“Okay,” she pulled out her chair to sit down at her desk. “Just let me finish getting ready.” 

“Let me know how Noiz is doing when you see him. I’ll try and wrap things up early at work so I can get home as soon as possible,” Aoba rubbed Sei’s back and smiled. “Everything’s going to be alright, okay?” 

Sei swallowed and nodded. Aoba hugged Mizuki and told him goodbye, and he left for his weekend job at the ice cream shop. 

Mizuki dug through Aoba’s dresser for clothes that he’d left on previous visits. 

Sei’s desk doubled as a vanity. She adjusted the mirror and saw her red, puffy reflection. She found her pouch with her plumping mascaras and long, glittery tubes of lip gloss and unzipped it. She pinned her bangs out of her face with a pale green seashell clip. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue before unscrewing the cap of the mascara and applying it at the base of her lashes and swooping the wand upwards. She leaned back, checking her work in the mirror when she saw Mizuki’s bare chest in the reflection. She stared with her lips parted for a moment at his abs and pecs, then looked away. She knew she shouldn’t feel giddy at the idea of having him to herself for the day. But it had been so long since they’d hung out together. Just the two of them. 

“I’m gonna go downstairs and eat,” Mizuki said, stopping by the door. “Want me to fix a plate for you?” 

“No, thanks. I’ll be down in just a minute.” 

“Alright,” he grinned and tapped his fingers on the door frame and went downstairs. 

Once Sei was satisfied with her half-up, half-down hairstyle and makeup, she looped her purse over her shoulder and went to join them in the kitchen. 

Granny waited at the table with a mug of coffee. She raised her eyebrow at Sei. Sei hesitated by the bottom step. 

“Come on, get your butt in here,” Granny said. Sei lowered her head and kept her eyes on the hardwood floor. Mizuki was chowing down at the table, but Sei could tell by his stiff posture and avoidant eyes that he felt awkward. 

“Sit,” Granny ordered. 

Sei pulled out a chair next to Granny and sat down across from Mizuki. 

“Where were you last night?” 

“At the library. There was an incident.” 

“An incident?” Granny furrowed her brow. “What happened?” 

“My friend Noiz was found unconscious in front of the school.” 

“Is he alright?” 

“I don’t know,” Sei sighed and picked that the edge of her cast. “I was going to visit him in the hospital after breakfast.” 

Granny grunted. She looked skeptical. 

“How’d that make you stay out so late? It was past midnight when you got home.” 

Part of Sei wanted to confess everything. The car that followed her. And the ominous text. But she didn’t want to worry anyone. She’d considered it all could have been nothing, just unrelated coincidences. She didn’t want to risk Granny grounding her over nothing. 

“I stayed and talked to the police. And I forgot my umbrella, so I waited in the library for the rain to stop, but it never did.” 

“And they didn’t have a spare one to lend you?” 

Sei looked down in her lap. She shook her head. Granny closed her eyes and let out a long exhale. 

“Next time something like that happens, call me right away. You know better. I don’t want you to start acting like Aoba and disappearing on me.” For the first time since Sei sat down, Mizuki perked up. 

“He hasn’t done that in a while. Not since-” Granny shot him a glare and Mizuki stopped midsentence. He pursed his lips and went back to pushing food around on his plate. Sei knew what he was going to say. _Not since her track accident._

“I know you think you’re old enough to take care of yourself, but being an adult means you know when to ask for help,” Granny touched Sei’s arm and smiled. “Alright?” 

Sei’s bottom lip trembled. She pressed her lips together in a thin line and nodded. 

Granny’s expression became sterner when she turned to look at Mizuki. 

“So, you’re taking her to visit Noiz?” 

“Yes, ma’am. Then I was thinking of taking her to the aquarium afterwards.” 

“I see. I can give you some spending money, but don’t go crazy. I’m not rich,” Granny got up to get her pocketbook. 

Sei caught Mizuki looking at her. She grinned bashfully and brushed her hair behind her ear. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

“My pleasure.” 

  


_Elsewhere._

“Good morning, Sara. How are you feeling today?” A nurse opened the curtains and pushed back the blinds, letting the morning light in. Sara sat up in bed and attempted to smile. 

“I feel like I just slept on a board for eight hours,” she retorted. Though Sara was in her mid-twenties, she was in the geriatric ward. Her doctors believed she would feel more comfortable in a quiet wing of the hospital. After her miraculous recovery from a coma, she had woken up in a terrified, amnesiac state. As they did with all patients first thing in the morning, the nurse took Sara’s temperature and blood pressure. 

“Sorry to hear that. I’ll see if I can get you more pillows. Breakfast starts in ten minutes; do you remember where to go?” The nurse asked and removed the Velcro cuff from Sara’s arm and set it back on the cart. 

Sara nodded. 

“Yes, thank you.” 

The nurse wheeled her cart out of the room and left the door open. Sara clinched her fists against her thighs. The hands may have moved when she willed them to, but these weren’t her hands. This wasn’t her body. She whispered to herself. 

“My name isn’t Sara. It’s Sei. My name is Sei!” 


	5. Her Real Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real Sei is trapped in a body that isn't hers.

The sky was still overcast, but it was not raining. The sun was shinning behind the clouds, lighting it up like a ceiling tile under florescent bulbs. Sei squinted and her eyes watered. She pulled the brim down on her hat to shield her eyes. The air was hot and muggy despite how chilly it had been the night before. 

Mizuki and Sei took the bus to the hospital. They didn’t say much. Sei was tired and Mizuki didn’t seem to be fully awake yet either. But it was a comfortable silence. They’d known each other for a long time, so when their hands touched or their legs bumped together during the ride, there was no need to pull away or apologize. She was close enough to him that she could smell his scent. She was all too familiar with the way he smelled. Sometimes after he spent the night she would lay in his spot on Aoba’s bed. Or she would sniff one of his worn shirts that he’d left behind. Of course, she would never tell anyone that. Never. It was one of her guilty pleasures. She just loved the way he naturally smelled. 

“Hey, we’re here,” Mizuki nudged her shoulder with his. She had nodded off for the second time today, first in the bathtub and now on the bus. Missing one night of sleep was really taking a toll on her, she thought. 

Mizuki tugged the rope to signal the driver and the bus pulled over. They exited and caught each other yawning and laughed. 

“Maybe we should have slept in and just visited in the evening,” Mizuki joked. 

“I’m fine. But I can’t promise I won’t crash when I get home,” she said and then her smile vanished when something up the road caught her eye. 

“What’s wrong?” Mizuki asked and looked where she was staring. 

There was no mistaking it. She’d never seen another car like it in Midorijima before- the black Mercedes that had looked for her was parked just up the road. Sei couldn’t tell if the driver was in it: its windows were too dark. But it was too late to act like she hasn’t seen it. If someone was in the car and they really were following her, they knew for sure that she was aware now. She swallowed even though her mouth was dry. 

She shook her head, “Nothing. I thought I saw something.” 

Mizuki frowned and looked at her as if he didn’t believe her, but let it go. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her in. He looked back down the road again. He ran his tongue along his teeth while he contemplated something. 

  


One of the male nurses called for Sara. Sara looked up from the coloring page she was working on and forced herself to smile. She followed him. She didn’t know his name, but she’d seen him around. He was overweight and his rolls of back fat were visible through his scrubs. His waist was small and his belly hung over his waist band. He smiled and said good morning to the other nurses and doctors as he led her through the hallway while everyone did their best to ignore her. 

People who worked here were less interested in the patients and more interested in talking amongst themselves. They talked about their families. They talked about television shows and things they’d seen online. They gossiped. They joked. They were living normal lives in an abnormal place- a place where the others were living through the worst time of their lives if it wasn’t the end of it. 

Today would be her first chance to get out of here. She was meeting with a board of doctors who we going to assess her to see if she was stable enough to go home. She’d done well the past week pretending to be Sara, the previous and rightful owner of this body. She’d taken her medication even though it gave her headaches and made her hands shake. She had attended group therapy with the other mental patients. 

Sara wasn’t sure what she was going to do when she got out. She knew that she was still in Midorijima at the very least; she recognized this hospital. But she needed to find her body and… then what? She knew her body was alive. She felt a connection with it, but it seemed to be a one-way thing, unless her body was purposely blocking her out. She’d managed to steal a nurse’s coil they had left on the counter while showering a patient. She sent a private message- one that was cryptic enough that if it failed to work, no one would trace it back to her. But if her body received it… would she understand? Would she at least be more wary of those around her? 

Sara would cross that bridge when she got to it. Now she just needed a way out. 

The nurse opened a door for her. Sara gave him a small smile and ducked into the cramped office. There were four women sitting at the table. One she recognized as the doctor who was over seeing her treatment. The woman in a blue blouse looked familiar, but Sara didn’t know where she had seen her before, then she placed her. She had been the recreation counselor, Naono-san. The other two women she’d never seen before, but one was staring at her intently. Sara met her gaze tentatively but avoided looking at her. 

“So, how are you feeling today, Sara?” Naono-san asked. A wrinkled smile unfurled on her face. Sara shifted uncomfortably, feeling the eyes from the woman on the farthest right boring into her. 

“I’m okay. I feel much better than when I woke up a month ago,” Sara answered. 

“Do you feel like your memories are returning?” Her doctor asked her. Sara nodded enthusiastically. 

“Yes, I’m remembering who I am- I don’t know why I panicked and said I didn’t recognize myself before,” Sara skirted around the doctor’s questions without revealing that she really knew nothing about who the true Sara had been, and she gently tried changing the subject. Naono-san gave her another kind smile. 

“Do you recognize who she is?” The counselor asked, pointing at the ghostly white woman with tight lips. Sara rubbed her palms against her thighs under the table and looked over at the woman from under her eyelashes. 

“I… don’t,” Sara said. The doctor gave an inquisitive look, as if waiting for Sara to change her answer, but she didn’t know what they were wanting from her. She shook her head. “I don’t,” she said more affirmatively. 

“She’s your mother,” the doctor answered and rested her arms on the table, lacing her fingers. The frazzled woman at the end of the table jumped up and shook her head like she was trying to erase her own thoughts. 

“That’s not my daughter,” the woman shouted, her voice strident. Sara flinched and hunched her shoulders. “My daughter doesn’t talk like that!” 

The elderly woman who’d been sitting next to Sara’s mother reached and stroked the mother’s hand. Sara felt a crushing weight in her stomach; her head and the corners of her mouth felt heavy. She’d stolen away this mother’s daughter. She was in a body that didn’t belong to her. She had believed she was the only victim, and hadn’t thought about the other effects of taking over this body. The original Sara, as far as she understood, was dead. The soul that had been in this body was long gone. And it was her fault. If it weren’t for her, then the real Sara may have been the one to wake up from the coma. 

“We understand that you still have amnesia, but we think you’re healthy enough for homecare. What do you think, Sara? Would you feel comfortable going home with your mother, or-” 

Sara’s mother interrupted the doctor with a shrill wail. The grieving woman pushed her fist against her mouth and closed her eyes. She shook her head in disbelief and small tears trickled down her powdered cheeks. It was more than Sara could bare. She wanted to leave the hospital as soon as she could, but she couldn’t face the mother of the woman she’d effectively murdered. Sara crossed her arms and squeezed herself tight. 

“I… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry,” Sara said to the mother, unable to answer the doctor’s question. In the hospital, she couldn’t look for her real body. Or Aoba and Granny. But she knew the quickest way out would be to pretend to be this woman’s daughter, who was already disturbed by her mannerisms. The mother knew her daughter well enough to tell something was off. And if she did go through with this, she would only give the mother a false sense of hope that Sara’d survived. If she succeeded and got her old body back, then Sara’s would die. 

Someone reached across the table and laid a hand on Sara’s shoulder. 

“You don’t have to decide right away. We understand this is a difficult time for both of you,” the doctor said. “There’s no rush.” 

The mother was escorted out by the elderly woman. 

Sara looked abysmally at the papers on the table that detailed her perceived bodily and mental conditions. There was no easy way out, she realized. Sara hunched forward in her seat. 

“She’s right,” Sara said. 

“What do you mean, Sara?” The counselor asked, patting her shoulder. 

“I’m not her daughter.” 

  


Sei and Mizuki followed the signs to where the receptionist had said Noiz was, but they had gotten lost. 

“We should have taken a picture of the map,” Sei lamented. The hallways were long, winding, and hot. She couldn’t remember if they’d already been down this way before. 

“We’ll just ask the next person we see,” Mizuki said. “But you think there’d be more security or something. It feels we could just walk anywhere…” he murmured. 

A door up ahead opened. 

_Oh good,_ Sei thought, but changed her mind when she saw it was an elderly woman consoling a middle-aged woman who was moaning in grief. Sei and Mizuki averted their eyes and gave them space. 

The door opened again and out walked an older woman in a blue shirt with her hand on the shoulder of someone shorter than her. The shorter person had lightened hair that had grown out and the roots were showing. She suddenly stopped in her tracks; her eyes widened and locked onto Sei. She froze, not knowing why the woman was looking at her like that. 

“…It’s you,” she whispered, her lips barely moving. 

“Hm? Is it someone you know, Sara?” The older woman rubbed the shorter woman’s back and looked at Sei and Mizuki with a motherly smile. The short woman nodded. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t think we’ve met,” Sei said then titled her head. Something about that didn’t ring true to her. There was… something vaguely familiar about the small woman. But the thought was forgotten when the wild-eyed woman B-lined towards them. Mizuki pushed Sei back and stepped in front of her. 

“Hey-” Mizuki said. The woman puts her hands on her hips and looked offended. 

“Oh please, I’m not going to hurt her-” and then her expression went blank. “Oh… shit. I can’t remember your name.” 

The older woman, whom Sei guessed was a staff member of the hospital, put her hand on the shorter woman’s shoulder. 

“It’s alright, I mistake strangers for people I know all the time, Sara,” the woman in blue said. Sara shrugged out from the woman’s touch. 

“No- I-,” she looked at Sei, her brown eyes wide and searching. “The message!” Sara shouted with elation. 

Mizuki startled and stepped back, and he stepped on Sei’s toes. She winced and pulled her foot out from under his heel. 

“Did you get my message?” Sara shouted again. 

Sei’s heart felt like it stopped. She broke out in a cold sweat. 

The older woman gives them a confused look. “Do you know what message she’s talking about?” 

Mizuki looked back at Sei. She stared at the mysterious woman. How had she known about that ominous text? 

“No, I don’t know what she’s talking about.” 

“Wait! Please, just a few minutes is all I need. You have to believe me!” 

“Come now, they said no, we can’t force them to talk to you,” the elderly woman said in a calm tone. 

Sara had caught the attention of other staff. They were wide-eyed and ready to restrain her if they needed to. 

“Please… I know how it sounds, but… I _really_ need to talk to you,” she looked into Sei’s eyes desperately. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Sei murmured and took Mizuki’s hand. They rushed back to the stairwell. 

“No, please!” 

Sei could hear the crazed woman yelling after them, but she tried to block it out as they opened the door to the stairwell. They could hear her voice behind them becoming more panicked when the staff restrained her. 

“Come back, please! My real name is-”

The door slammed, and they scurried down the steps. 

  


“-Sei.” 

The sound of the door shutting was as loud and as fatal as a gunshot to Sara. What were the chances that she’d see her body here? And her body rejecting her existence... Did she just not want to acknowledge her? 

She wanted to run after them and make them listen to her. Maybe she could have if she still had her athletic body. But Sara’s body was much smaller and weaker. And as the days went on, she felt it was becoming heavier and harder to move. As if this body was rejecting her. 

It only took two people to restrain her. Sara knew she’d blown it. She’d seen what happened to other patients when they got too rowdy. They’d surround her later and inject her with a sedative. 

Sara gritted her teeth and hung her head. Somehow this day had been worse than anything she could have anticipated. If she wanted to prove she stable enough to leave, she’d blown it just then. And now… now if she tried to talk to the other Sei, the one inhabiting her body, she’d reject her. There was no way she’d get her to listen. But if Sara didn’t keep trying, what would happen to her? Would this body finally cease listening to her and she would become paralyzed? Being a trapped in this hospital was terrifying enough, but to become a prisoner in her own mind…

_No… I must keep trying. I have to…_

“I’m sorry,” Sara said and relaxed her expression the best she could. “I’m not sure what came over me. I guess not recognizing my own mother really put into perspective how bad off I am.” She gave a theatrical sniffle. 

The nurses restraining Sara on either side released their grips. She let her arms hang by her sides. 

“I can’t imagine what you must be going through,” Naono-san pulled Sara into a hug, then held her out at arm’s length to smile warmly at her. “Have you had breakfast yet?” 

Sara nodded, “Yes.” 

“Let’s have coffee then. Would you enjoy that?” 

“Sure,” she said and rubbed at her nose with the back of her hand. 

They walked back to the geriatric ward and the door locked behind them. They sat at a table to have their coffee. She realized that her bucket of markers and her coloring sheet had been cleared away. Sara looked outside the window to her left and shuddered as if someone had walked over her grave. 

“What is it?” The therapist asked. Sara shrugged. 

“Something about the windows of this place. I just… get an odd feeling from them.” 

“Are you afraid of heights?” 

Sara frowned and considered that for a moment. 

“Maybe… I don’t know what else it could be.” 


	6. The Aquarium

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mizuki and Sei visit Noiz in the hospital and run into Theo. Afterwards, they go to the aquarium and run into trouble.

The air between Mizuki and Sei was tense after the encounter with the crazy patient. They finally found a hospital staff member to help them, and they learned they were practically on the opposite side of where Noiz was. Mizuki ran his hand through his hair and let out an exasperated sigh. 

“I don’t understand how we got turned around so badly, and we ended up in the mental ward of all places,” he muttered. Sei kept her eyes on the shiny linoleum floor and watched the reflection of lights glide over its surface like cars on a rainy road at night. The desperation in Sara’s eyes surfaced in her thoughts, and Sei tried to push them out of her mind. 

“After we see Noiz, let’s go straight to the aquarium,” Sei said, looking back at Mizuki. He rubbed his neck, an expression of concern on his face. 

“Are you sure? We can go home if you’re still tired.” 

Sei had already been exhausted from not getting any sleep the night before, and after what had just happened, she was dead on her feet. But she didn’t want to be alone with her thoughts, not right now. She forced herself to smile. 

“I’m okay. If anything, I think a visit to the aquarium would make me feel much better.” 

Mizuki gently rested his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly. She looked back at him and saw the worry on his face. It melted her heart a bit. 

“Mizuki…” she started to say, but something up ahead caught his eye. 

“Theo?” 

Sei looked up to see Theo lingering outside of a hospital room. He gave them a feeble grin. He looked ashen and his clothes were worn and wrinkled, a stark comparison to his normally crisp attire. When Sei’s eyes met with Theo’s she could see how downtrodden he looked. It made her chest feel tight. 

“Hey guys. Are you here to visit Noiz?” 

“Yeah. How’s he doing?” Mizuki asked. Theo glanced down to the side. He fiddled with the cuff on his left arm. 

“He’s still in a coma. The doctors don’t really know what to make of it. But… they said they had a similar case recently, and she recovered,” Theo gave them another washed out smile. “So, there’s hope. I just…” 

Theo’s voice trailed off. He didn’t need to say anything more; Mizuki and Sei understood. She remembered just how shocked she had been to see him when the paramedics carried him into the back of the ambulance. She could only imagine how stunned Theo and his parents must have been. 

“Hey, where’s your mom and dad?” Sei asked. 

“They’re still in Germany. Dad’s busy with some business deal he can’t leave so,” Theo shrugged. Mizuki and Sei gaped in disbelief. 

“You’ve been dealing with this alone?!” Sei exclaimed. 

Theo screwed his mouth to the side and didn’t say anything. 

“Have you eaten yet? You look pale,” Mizuki commented. 

“I’m not hungry,” Theo shrugged. 

“You have to keep your strength up if it’s just you looking after your brother. At least get something to drink,” Mizuki urged. Theo thought about it a moment, then nodded. 

“Alright. But I’m paying,” Theo glanced at Sei. “Would you like something too?” 

“Sure. Mizuki knows what I like,” Sei gave him a gentle smile. She wanted to hug Theo, but he looked so fragile she was afraid he would break if she did. 

“Alright. The door’s open if you want to see Noiz. You’re welcome to sit down and make yourself comfortable.” 

Sei’s heart jumped in her chest. She’d come here to see Noiz, but she was filled with sudden anxiety, and she didn’t understand why. But it would be childish just to wait for them outside of the door. 

“Okay. Thank you, Theo,” she said, and they left to go to the cafeteria. 

Sei steeled her fists by her sides and made up her resolve before she could change her mind. If she waited any longer, she’d lose her nerve. It was now or never. Sei walked over to the door and laid her hand against its smooth surface. She pushed it open wider to enter. 

It was a small hospital room dimly lit with a couple of lamps. The green and brown striped curtains were closed. Sei entered the room and caught the door from shutting behind her. 

Noiz was hooked up to machines that ensured he was still breathing and that his heart was still breathing. She was shocked by how small he looked. Noiz wasn’t a huge guy, but he decently built. Now… he looked sick. 

Sei wondered why she’d gotten suddenly afraid of seeing him. Perhaps she had just wanted to keep the image of the healthy him in her mind, instead of the limp and lifeless body she’d seen carried into the back of the ambulance. She no longer had any hesitation; she crossed the room to sit in the chair by his side. 

“I’m so sorry, Noiz,” she murmured quietly. 

Of course, she wasn’t expecting a response. She looked at his long, blonde eyelashes laying against his cheeks. Being in this space with him while he was unconscious was oddly intimate. She noticed things about him that she’d never seen before. Like how light his eyebrows and eyelashes were. Her brows drew together; there was so much she didn’t know about him. So many mysteries that only he knew the answer to. 

She felt the urge to touch him. To tap his shoulder and wake him up. It was a stupid, harebrained desire, but a strong one. She had to know. Why hadn’t he just gone home? Why did he persist so hard to take care of her? 

She watched her hand move forward on its own, and she touched his shoulder. 

  


Sei and Mizuki had invited Theo to come with them to the aquarium, but he’d declined, saying that he needed to get some rest. So, the two of them went in through the front entrance into the cool, dark building. Sei had been to this aquarium more times than she could count. The layout had changed very little throughout the years; even the gifts they sold in the gift shop had remained practically the same. 

The entrance opened to a large, open auditorium. In the center of the room was a large staircase that led to the saltwater exhibits. On the first floor were the freshwater fish. To the far left was the gift shop, in which Sei had bought much of her mermaid knickknacks and accessories that she treasured. 

They meandered over to the tanks by their right. In them were vicious looking eels with spiny, crooked teeth and wild eyes. They looked rather fearsome. Sei was thankful she was safe behind the glass. 

Together Mizuki and Sei browsed the tanks, not really talking all that much since they’d both been here many times. 

“Hey, it looks like we made it just in time for the mermaid show!” Sei pointed at the sign by the stairs. The next show would begin in just a few minutes. 

“Lucky us. Still into that kiddy stuff?” Mizuki cocked an eyebrow. He led the way up the carpeted stairs. 

“It’s not just for kids,” she protested. 

Mizuki looked back over his shoulder at her with a bemused look, “Sei, did you not just hear what you said? _Mermaid show?_ ” 

“Anyone would think the mermaid show was cool,” she grumbled. 

“Just take a look around. What do you see?” Sei furrowed her brows, not understanding what he was getting at at first, but then she realized what he meant. The majority of the audience waiting for the show to start was comprised of children. 

Sei’s ears burned in embarrassment. 

“Okay, so maybe the mermaid show is mostly for kids, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it.” 

“Why don’t we go to the shark tunnel?” Mizuki suggested. Sei perked up. 

“Shark tunnel?” 

“Yeah, see that sign over there?” 

Sei squinted and saw a large advertisement for the newly added attraction. 

“It’s a glass tunnel that goes through their giant shark tank. There’s supposed to be sharks of all kinds. How about it, wanna check it out?” Mizuki elbowed Sei in the ribs, smiling mischievously. 

“Shut up,” Sei rolled her eyes and walked ahead to take a seat in in the audience. 

“What’s wrong? Are you going to start crying and hide behind me the second you see a sawtooth shark?” Mizuki teased. Sei gave him an unamused look. She crossed her arms over her chest. 

“I was like fourteen when that happened,” Sei protested. 

“That doesn’t make it sound any better,” Mizuki grinned and chuckled. Normally Sei would get angrier and snap back at him, but her heart leapt at seeing him genuinely being playful with her. It felt like forever since they’d done this. She found herself smiling back. 

“Alright. We can go check out the shark exhibit. But only if we can come back and watch the next showing.” 

“Sure. Let’s go.” 

  


Inside the tube, it was much darker. The floor was a slow-moving conveyor belt. Sei and Mizuki stood side by side and watched the sharks and fish swim around in the dark, blue water. Sharks had never been her favorite part of the aquarium, she normally skipped seeing them. But now, there was no avoiding them. They were swimming all around them. Visions of the glass breaking and water flooding the tunnel kept playing in her mind. If that happened, then there’d be nothing keeping them away from the long, jagged teeth of the sandtiger sharks. 

Mizuki seemed to be enjoying himself. He was animated, pointing out fish he recognized. He also pointed out giant sea tortoises lazing on the sandy floor of the tank. Sei’s heart was pounding just a tad harder than she would admit. Occasionally a shark would come close and swim over the tank. Its face would be magnified by the curve of the glass. Sei tensed up and closed her eyes. She hoped Mizuki hadn’t seen her do it, or he’d never let her live it down. 

“Are you alright, Miss?” 

Sei startled and turned to a gentleman wearing glasses standing behind her. He was wearing a suit; he looked something like a salary man, but his gelled-up hair didn’t look professional. Then she noticed someone taller who had the same style of clothes and hair standing beside him. 

“Oh, yeah. I’m okay, thank you. I just don’t like it when they swim over us,” Sei giggled nervously. The stranger with glasses stepped closer and gave her an impish grin. 

“Why? Afraid they’re gonna break through the glass and bite you?” He emphasized his words by putting a firm hand on her shoulder. 

“H-hey,” Sei paled and her eyes flashed to Mizuki. He’d heard the panicked tone of her voice and turned to check on her. 

“Yo, what’s going on?” Mizuki asked and then froze. His eyes widened when he saw what was happening. 

“Nothing, it just seems your friend is scared, so we’re taking her to the emergency exit,” at that Sei felt something cold and hard pressed into her back. Tears pricked her eyes and her bottom lip trembled. 

“Sei… You bastards-!” Mizuki started to walk closer and the barrel of the gun was pressed harder into her back and she grimaced in pain. 

“No!” Sei shouted and other patrons in the tunnel looked back at them. She shook her head; her eyes pleaded with Mizuki to listen to these men. He couldn’t see the gun, but he didn’t need to to know something was wrong. 

“Attract any more attention, and we’ll put a bullet in her spine,” Virus said in a calm voice, just loud enough for Mizuki to hear. 

“What do you want with her?” Mizuki growled. Then the taller man stepped forward. 

“We just need her to help us secure a payoff. As long as you don’t get the authorities involved, she’ll be returned safe and sound in two days,” he said. 

“Two days?!” Mizuki repeated incredulously. 

“You can cover for her, right? If everyone does as they’re _told_ ,” the one holding Sei’s shoulder dug the gun barrel into her back. She held in a whimper. “She’ll be taken care of, we’ll get our payoff, and you’ll never see us again after it’s over. Everyone will get what they want.” 

“Mizuki…” Sei groaned in a small voice. She wanted to beg him for help, to save her. She didn’t want to be taken away, but they had no choice. She took a deep breath and steadied herself. “It’s okay. Just do what they say.” Tears escaped her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. Mizuki was visibly seething with fury. 

Mizuki glared at the men and spoke through clenched teeth, “She’d better not have a scratch on her, so help me-” 

“Oh, don’t worry. She’ll be fine. We’ll take good care of her,” the taller man said. Before Sei could say anything, the men in suits escorted her down the walkway through the crowd. She thinks she should cry out for help, but the gun in her back is unwavering and she doesn’t want to risk getting shot. Even if she managed to survive, she’d likely be permanently injured. It felt unreal. 

Finally, they came to a door that read “Staff.” The taller man with bleached-blonde hair pushed on its lever and held the door open for them. They entered a dark stairwell illuminated only by the hellish red glow of an exit sign. They went out the back door and Sei was blinded by the sunlight. She hesitated because she couldn’t see, but they pushed her to keep moving. Then she saw the black Mercedes parked near the exit. She felt chills all over. 

They opened the back seat and she obediently got in. They closed the door after her. Her thoughts were racing. She felt like she was going to be sick. 

As they drove off, she kept her eyes on the exit door, but no one came bursting out to save her. No Mizuki. No sirens. She was on her own. She covertly tested the door handle and found that the child safety lock was engaged. 

“My name is Virus, and this is Trip,” the one with glasses said. He turned around to smile at her; it didn’t reach his eyes. “There’s no need to be worried. You’ll be fine. Actually, you may enjoy yourself,” he added. 

“Mmm, yeah. Aoba always had fun when we hung out,” Trip said. “Though he doesn’t want to see us anymore.” 

Sei stared at them in disbelief. 

“A-Aoba? There’s… no way he’d…” Sei wanted to say there was no way that her brother could be acquainted with these criminals. But then again, she couldn’t say it with conviction. Virus smirked, seeming to have read her thoughts. 

“Perhaps there’s a lot about your brother you don’t know?” 

She looked away to the window and watched dilapidated buildings flash by. She balled her fists on her lap; her fingernails dug into her palms. 

_Aoba… just what the hell have you gotten us into?_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Just getting clicks is enough for me to keep writing, so thank you very much! :) 
> 
> Got a prompt you want me to write? Or a question about one of my works? Send me an Ask on my [Tumblr!](https://prince-jules.tumblr.com/ask)


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